Molecular identification of adenoviruses associated with respiratory infection in Egypt from 2003 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: Human adenoviruses of species B, C, and E (HAdV-B, -C, -E) are frequent causative agents of acute respiratory infections worldwide. As part of a surveillance program aimed at identifying the etiology of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Egypt, we characterized 105 adenovirus isolates from clinical samples collected between 2003 and 2010. METHODS: Identification of the isolates as HAdV was accomplished by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and confirmed by a set of species and type specific polymerase chain reactions (PCR). RESULTS: Of the 105 isolates, 42% were identified as belonging to HAdV-B, 60% as HAdV-C, and 1% as HAdV-E. We identified a total of six co-infections by PCR, of which five were HAdV-B/HAdV-C co-infections, and one was a co-infection of two HAdV-C types: HAdV-5/HAdV-6. Molecular typing by PCR enabled the identification of eight genotypes of human adenoviruses; HAdV-3 (n = 22), HAdV-7 (n = 14), HAdV-11 (n = 8), HAdV-1 (n = 22), HAdV-2 (20), HAdV-5 (n = 15), HAdV-6 (n = 3) and HAdV-4 (n = 1). The most abundant species in the characterized collection of isolates was HAdV-C, which is concordant with existing data for worldwide epidemiology of HAdV respiratory infections. CONCLUSIONS: We identified three species, HAdV-B, -C and -E, among patients with ILI over the course of 7 years in Egypt, with at least eight diverse types circulating

HOT SUBTERRANEAN BIOSPHERE IN A CONTINENTAL OIL-RESERVOIR

THE presence of high concentrations of hyperthermophilic archaea in Alaskan oil fields has been attributed to viable hyperthermophiles in low concentrations in the injected sea water, but the existence of an indigenous community within the reservoir was ruled out(1). Here we present evidence for the existence of indigenous thermophilic bacteria and hyperthermophilic archaea from a continental petroleum reservoir about 1,670 m below the surface. The thermophilic isolates were repeatedly obtained from different wells and thrived in media similar to conditions in the wells, suggesting that these isolates are members of a deep indigenous thermophilic community. The unexpected presence of marine hyperthermophilic archaea in a deep continental environment extends the known ecological habitat of this group of organisms, and their unusual coexistence with terrestrial bacteria suggests that thermophiles may be widespread deep in the crust of the earth